Belarus CEC chair: Transparent ballot boxes no longer trendy
Belarus' Central Election Commission chairperson Lidziya Yarmoshyna / Euroradio
Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna has explained why transparent ballot boxes will not be used at elections in Belarus. Other countries are refusing from this election technique, she said. “It may be for the better” that Belarus has not managed to implement it so far:
"We are experiencing total pressure all the time: when will all our ballot boxes be transparent? I can tell you: this practice is outdated. Furthermore, it contradicts the international standards,” Lidziya Yarmoshyna told STV. “Ballot boxes should be semi-transparent because transparent ones cannot keep the secrecy of the ballot. You see, we have not implemented them and other countries are already refusing from them.”
Semi-transparent ballot boxes are gaining popularity, the CEC chairperson said. E-voting is also popular (at least partially). “I think that we will be gradually implementing it,” Yarmoshyna added.
Meanwhile, transparent ballot boxes were used at the recent parliamentary election in Ukraine.
It seems that nobody is going to refuse from them:
What else will be missing at Belarusian elections?
Candidates will not be allowed to make use of crowdfunding to raise money for their election campaigns. It is impossible to check whether donors are adult Belarusian citizens, she explained. All the money raised by candidates must be deposited on a special account at Belarusbank.
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